NEW YORK — A Toledo businessman, developer, and community leader is being honored at an annual event that recognizes individuals and organizations for enhancing Italy’s global image and cultural impact.

Nick Eyde, owner of Geyde Development Co. in Toledo, is receiving the Italian Reputation Award. He is to be honored Saturday at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

A longtime business and community leader, Mr. Eyde spearheaded the effort to bring the Italian Bowl to Toledo, where it was held at the University of Toledo in 2023 and 2025.

His connection to Italy began with football and grew into a lifelong appreciation for the country, its people and culture, which became more personal when he met his wife, Gaia, in Italy.

“Italy became part of my life in a way I never expected,” Mr. Eyde said. “What started with football became a love for the country, its people, and its culture. 

“Meeting Gaia changed my life, and bringing the Italian Bowl to Toledo was a way to share some of that connection with my hometown. I am deeply honored to receive this award.”

COLUMBUS — Ohio’s current laws on electric bicycles are insufficient to protect riders and pedestrians from serious injuries, Democratic state lawmakers said Wednesday.

State Sen. Bill DeMora (D., Columbus) and state Rep. Eric Synenberg (D., Beachwood) announced legislation creating statewide rules for e-bikes and similar electric micro-mobility devices such as e-scooters during a news conference at the Ohio Statehouse.

Among other provisions, the bill prohibits individuals younger than 14 from operating e-bikes, and it requires registration, permits, and helmet use.

“We have to do something because kids are getting hurt, people are getting hurt,” Mr. DeMora said. “Every week, you read somewhere in the country that people are dying on these things.”

Mr. Synenberg said the use of new technology often requires the creation of new laws.

“Ohio’s laws need to keep pace with the ways our communities are changing,” he said. “This legislation is an important step toward promoting responsible use, reducing preventable injuries, and making our roads, sidewalks, and shared-use paths safer for everyone.”

Mr. Synenberg emphasized that they are not trying to prevent Ohioans from using e-bikes and e-scooters.

“These devices are here to stay, and they are growing in popularity. They provide transportation, recreation, and mobility for people across our state,” Mr. Synenberg said.

“Our goal is to make sure that riders understand the rules and risks where they ride, and give motorists, pedestrians, local governments, law enforcement, and businesses clear and consistent expectations,” he said.

The ProMedica Toledo Hospital Emergency Department frequently treats patients with injuries associated with e-bikes, a spokesman for the hospital said.

“These injuries can range from relatively minor cuts and abrasions to more serious injuries such as fractures and head trauma,” they said. “We encourage riders to wear helmets, obey traffic laws, and operate these devices responsibly, as many of these injuries are preventable and can have significant consequences.”

Details of legislation

Mr. DeMora introduced Senate Bill 477 on Wednesday, and Mr. Synenberg said his companion bill will be introduced in the coming weeks. State lawmakers are not expected to consider any more bills until the lame duck session occurring after the Nov. 3 election.

Key provisions of the bill include the following:

● The owner must pay a one-time $25 registration fee. Failure to register an e-bike results in a minor misdemeanor for the first offense, and subsequent violations would result in a fourth-degree misdemeanor and 30-day impoundment. Mr. Synenberg an e-bike could be registered to a minor age 14-17 or their parent. 

● E-bike riders would be required to obtain a permit by completing an online course provided by the Ohio Department of Public Safety. A driver’s license or a learner’s permit would also be sufficient to ride an e-bike, Mr. Synenberg said.

● Only those age 18 and older would be allowed to use a rented e-bike.

● E-bikes would be limited to 10 miles per hour on a shared-use path and to 5 miles per hour on sidewalks.

● Local governments are permitted to create their own rules for e-bike use as long as they are at least as strict as the state law. 

Current Ohio law and local rules

Under Ohio’s current laws, e-bikes are placed in one of three categories: class 1, class 2, or class 3. There are no age restrictions on class 1 or class 2 e-bikes.

A class 1 e-bike provides electric motor assistance only when the rider is pedaling and maxes out at 20 miles per hour, while a class 2 e-bike provides electric motor assistance regardless of whether the rider is pedaling and maxes out at 20 miles per hour.

A class 3 e-bike provides electric motor assistance only when the rider is pedaling and maxes out at 28 miles per hour. Class 3 riders must be at least 16 years old, and are required to wear a helmet.

The city of Toledo does not appear to have an ordinance specifically addressing e-bikes. Representatives from the city did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

The Perrysburg Police Division has announced a new registration requirement for class 1 and class 2 e-bikes as part of an ordinance designed to promote safe use of bicycle paths and shared-use paths throughout the city. The registration process will be free of charge.

Perrysburg will require e-bike registration starting on Oct. 15, but there will be a 60-day grace period to give residents time to complete the process.

Other state lawmakers weigh in

State Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D., Toledo) said she is happy her colleagues are working on a statewide solution to this issue.

“I saw a kid yesterday dart out right in front of another car, and they could have been hit. They don’t yield,” Ms. Hicks-Hudson said. “There needs to be standards made so that not only our young people, but some adults are taken care of.”

Ms. Hicks-Hudson said she often rides a motorcycle.

“I went through a couple of classes so that I knew what the rules were so I could ride safely,” she said, noting e-bikes are much smaller than motorcycles. 

“One of the rules is that we don’t have a cage to protect us,” Ms. Hicks-Hudson said. “If there is an injury, it’s going to be pretty serious between an e-bike and a car or truck.”

State Reps. Andrea White (R., Kettering) and Kevin Miller (R., Newark) introduced House Bill 948 earlier in 2026, and the legislation received a hearing in June.

That bill would ensure driver’s education courses include a section on e-bike safety and require retailers to provide buyers with a pamphlet on traffic safety. It would also require the Ohio Department of Public Safety to study the issue and make recommendations to the governor and Ohio General Assembly.

“H.B. 948 is an important first step to get in getting the statewide conversation activated,” Ms. White said.

Our goal is swift identification of targeted steps and strategies that will help keep our children and families safe,” she continued. “We need to act now to prevent any more hospitalizations or deaths.”

A community’s access to art is important to the Toledo Museum of Art’s Director, Adam Levine, and a recent donation from the KeyBank Foundation will help fund the museum’s community outreach efforts. 

“We find community-anchored institutions in neighborhoods. Sometimes it can be a school, a community center, or a church. We work out of Lucas County Metropolitan housing facilities, Area Office on Aging facilities — we work across the gamut,” he said.

Mr. Levine spoke at an announcement Wednesday at the Glass Pavilion that the KeyBank Foundation is investing $300,000 in the Toledo Museum of Art’s community outreach program, which brings free, hands-on art experiences directly into neighborhoods across Toledo. 

The program is designed to remove barriers to arts participation while creating consistent and safe spaces for children, youth, families, and adults experiencing economic instability.

Dan Dower, KeyBank Northwest Ohio market president, said KeyBank has partnered with the Toledo Museum of Art for decades.

“With an investment like this, we’re reinforcing our commitment to multiple years of support and partnership with this institution. We see the impact it makes. We know it’s an anchored institution that really elevates the experience, culture, and education of our community,” he said.

“This grant will help our outreach team bring free, hands-on art experiences directly into our community and Toledo neighborhoods, reaching around 2,000 participants every year,” said Grace Toth, the museum’s director of education. 

“What makes this gift especially meaningful is it supports consistent, year-round engagement; it allows our teaching artists to go to new and existing community partner sites, creating trusting relationships and welcoming spaces where participants can discover their creativity, a sense of connection, and belonging through art,” she said.

The funds will focus on neighborhoods within a two-mile radius of the museum, Mr. Levine said.

“The most underrepresented ZIP codes are within two miles. Another reason the two-mile radius was a smart place to begin this type of outreach effort is because the barrier around transportation is greatly reduced. It’s still a barrier, but that’s something we’ve been working around,” Mr. Levine said.

The hands-on art experience is designed to introduce art to people who may not have thought about participating in activities, he said.

“We do art-making activities that are not one-offs. They are longer-term projects so people keep coming back and engaging. We connect those off-site to on-site art-making activities to draw people, who may not have considered coming to the museum,” Mr. Levine said. 

“It has had a remarkable success on our visitation,” he added.

In 2020, about 20 percent of the metro area lived within a two-mile radius of the museum, but only six percent of the museum’s visits came within those two miles.

“Now, 20 percent of visits come from within two miles, and our attendance has more than doubled,” Mr. Levine said.

Examples of the community outreach activities include painting a mural on a church, Mr. Levine said.

“You show up week after week to keep the project going,” he said. 

Another example is an exhibition of artwork made by people 55 and older. 

“It’s called the Vitality Arts program, focusing on senior centers within a two-mile radius. The exhibit is currently in our education wing. The artists visit, their families visit. It’s a great way to introduce people to the museum,” Mr. Levine said.

Carla Frost, the corporate responsibility officer with KeyBank, said the investment is timely.

“Economically, people are struggling. Some might consider going to the museum, or participating in classes, a luxury. This could be considered a luxury, but a necessary luxury in that it is important to provide access to art for everyone,” Ms. Frost said.

Northwood schools’ administration building will soon be home to a health center that will be open to students and the general public.

The Wood County Health Department and the Northwood schools on Wednesday celebrated the future Northwood Community Health Center at 700 Lemoyne Rd.

Lindsey Ruivivar, CEO of the Wood County Community Health Center, said the health department and the school district began talking about the community health center in 2024.

“There was a gap in services in the north end of the county,” Ms. Ruivivar said. “Working with [Superintendent Jason] Kozina, his staff, and City Administrator Kevin Loughlin has been wonderful. They really care about their students and the broader community.”

The district has provided 3,200 square feet for the school-based health center. The first phase will renovate approximately 1,100 square feet to create two medical exam rooms and a lab. In the future, the remaining space will be renovated to add dental and mental health services as well, Ms. Ruivivar said.

The renovation is set to begin Monday. The project should be complete by December, with the opening being held in January, Ms. Ruivivar said.

“Initially, the center will be open for students, but it will be open to siblings, parents, and the whole community soon after,” Ms. Ruivivar said. “This will be opened to the broader community, so they too can get access to primary care services.” 

Ms. Ruivivar said the clinic will be staffed by a primary care nurse practitioner as well as lab staff.

“The center will offer primary care services and will be able to deal with things like strep throat, pink eye, the flu and other basic issues,” she said. “They will also be able to handle chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure because there will be an on-site lab.”

Mr. Kozina said the district is looking forward to having the center open.

“We are very excited to see this go from concept to reality,” Mr. Kozina said. “The students, families, and the community need this resource. It will help our students be healthy and help our families and community members have access to medical resources as well.”

Renovation costs for the space are expected to be $300,000, Ms. Ruivivar said. The project received a total of $500,000 in financial assistance awards. 

Forty percent of the first phase has been paid for by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Ohio Department of Health paid for 60 percent of the total, she said.

U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) said she was happy the school district and the county health department came together to open the health center.

“I am just so proud of you,” Ms. Kaptur said. “You are bringing valuable and important services to underserved people in northwest Ohio. Health clinics are very precious here.”

Ms. Kaptur said she and Sen. Bernie Moreno (R., Ohio) have additional funding requests for the project in the House and Senate. Ms. Kaptur, who is requesting an additional $1.1 million, said she is hoping the requests are voted on.

Ms. Ruivivar said the health clinic will accept all commercial insurance as well as Medicare, Medicaid, and veterans’ benefits.

“For those who are underinsured or uninsured, we have a sliding scale for services,” she said. “We can also set up payment plans. We do not want cost to be a barrier to care. We want our services to be affordable and accessible.”

The department is still raising funds for the project. For more information on the center and how to support it, contact Ms. Ruivivar at 419-277-7396 or LRuivivar@woodcountyohiohealth.gov.

People of all ages and abilities can enjoy Halloween activities Sunday at Sunshine Communities.

Spooky Boardwalk runs from 2 to 4 p.m. featuring trick-or-treating and a visit to the barn. Participants are encouraged to wear festive costumes, organizers said.

The free event takes place on the main campus of Sunshine Communities, 7223 Maumee Western Rd., in Monclova Township. Parking with accessible shuttles is at Dana, Inc., 3939 Technology Dr.

The rain date is Oct. 18.

Utility work will close Dorr Street’s eastbound lanes at Secor Road for four hours Thursday evening, the Toledo Department of Transportation announced.

The work at Dorr and Secor will start at 8 p.m. and will also close Secor between Kiel Road and Dorr, officials said.

Eastbound Dorr will be detoured via Secor to Bancroft Street, University Hills Boulevard, and Douglas Road.

Traffic arriving on southbound Secor will be sent west on Dorr to southbound Byrne Road, then east on Nebraska Avenue and north on Westwood Avenue back to Dorr. Drivers who anticipate the closing can use eastbound Bancroft to University Hills and Douglas to save time and mileage.

Separate utility work will cause lane closings throughout the day Thursday and on Friday on southbound Douglas at Sylvania Avenue, the city said.

Metroparks Toledo’s governing board approved a grant application Wednesday morning to help the Black Swamp Conservancy purchase a small Lake Erie island once owned by President Rutherford B. Hayes.

The Toledo agency will seek up to $1.35 million from the Ohio Public Works Commission’s Clean Ohio Conservation Program during the 2027 fiscal year. The board of park commissioners approved a resolution authorizing the grant application unanimously Wednesday morning.

The seven-acre island in Ottawa County’s Catawba Island Township was once President Hayes’ summer retreat, and chimneys and foundations from two cabins he built at his “Summer White House” remain, said Rob Krain, Black Swamp’s executive director.

“This is a rare opportunity to permanently preserve an entire Lake Erie island,” Mr. Krain said.

The conservancy has a purchase contract for about $3.2 million to buy it and soon will start a capital fund-raising campaign, he said.

“Metroparks is acting as a government agency partner to secure the funding, but we will not take ownership of the property,” said Scott Carpenter, a Metroparks spokesman. “It’s an example of conservation organizations working together to preserve a significant natural area.”

Mouse Island went on the market for $5 million in July, 2025. The asking price for the wooded island, which has no utility infrastructure and is accessible only by boat, was reduced to $3.8 million in June. The property was listed as pending late last month.

President Hayes acquired the island in 1873, four years before he was elected to his single term in the White House. He died in 1893.

Mr. Krain said that while the remnants of President Hayes’ cabins will be preserved for their historical relevance, several newer, dilapidated sheds and outbuildings will be removed once Black Swamp acquires the island.

When that happens will depend on how quickly it can raise the money, he said.

Mouse Island is just off the shore of Catawba Point and is the first island travelers on the Miller Boat Line ferries to South Bass Island see on the right after ferries leave the Catawba dock.

It is “incredibly important to migratory birds,” and there are other rare, threatened, and endangered wildlife species there, Mr. Krain said.

“We need to do some biological assessments” to determine exactly what lives there, he said.

Mr. Carpenter said conservation agencies helping each other in this fashion has a long history. Back in the 1970s, the Nature Conservancy in Cleveland helped the Metroparks district with a loan that allowed it to buy what is now Wildwood Preserve Metropark before grant money came in.

The Toledo agency has no projects pending that would be eligible for the current round of Clean Ohio Conservation Program funds, he said.

After getting food from the Harvest Food Pantry at Owens Community College, student CK Kramer decided he wanted to work there to help other students.

“It’s a welcoming environment,” said the 19-year-old who works part-time at the pantry stocking shelves and checking people in. “I could get a snack. Everyone is nice and helpful. It’s a great way to meet other people.”

Mia Hayes, 21, is another mentor at the center. In her 2½ years there, she said what has surprised her most about the pantry use has been “the amount of people who cried. It’s significant in their lives,” she said.

The pantry is a component of the Center for Campus and Community Connections, which is run by Krista Kiessling and a staff of nine part-time student workers including Mr. Kramer and Ms. Hayes.

They have seen a marked increase year over year in the number of people who use the pantry, Ms. Kiessling said. The pantry tracks both the number of people who visit and the number of people served, which includes members of a visitor’s household.

In summer 2024, 204 people came to the pantry in College Hall, by the following summer it was 344. In spring 2025, the number climbed to 693, and by spring 2026, it was 873 individuals.

“We have more parents of young children and more shared households,” Ms. Kiessling said. 

Changing family dynamics in the current economy also contribute to increased need, she said. Situations including job layoffs or extended family members now living under the same roof play a role. 

Often, she said, they have to encourage people to take more food.

“You have six kids, you need more than two cans of peas,” Ms. Kiessling said as an example. 

What’s available?

The Harvest Pantry is stocked with a variety of nonperishable foods including dry beans, canned vegetables and fruits, soups and stews, cereals, and pasta. A community garden tended to by the mentors offers greens, cucumbers, herbs, potatoes, tomatoes, and a variety of peppers students can pick for themselves. 

“I wandered into this room. I knew there was a food pantry,” Letitia Hatch, 31, said of when she first used the pantry. “I definitely needed the resources. I was living with my boyfriend. It was a good relief to have that access. I still utilize it as a mentor.”

The Owens community benefits from the pantry and the fresh garden items, Ms. Hatch said, adding “if we can give students access to more food that’s healthy so they’re not getting food out of a vending machine, it’s better for them.”

In addition to students and their families, the pantry is open to Owens faculty, staff, employees, alumni, and retirees. People in the broader community can come in once a month, either on the first or third Friday, Ms. Kiessling said. 

On average, 30 to 50 people come in each day, Ms. Hatch said.  

Mr. Kramer said the number of people who use the pantry has been eye-opening. He recounted a trip he made with Ms. Kiessling to pick up food this semester. It was a lot, he said.

“I was like, how are we going to get rid of all this? It was gone in a week,” he said. 

Reclaiming food

The center received a $2,500 grant from the Food Recovery Network that was used Sept. 29 to purchase a double-door cooler to hold donated and reclaimed food from campus events. The network is a national nonprofit focused on getting food that would otherwise go to waste from businesses, farmers, and food suppliers into the hands of college students. 

“We need to have more ready-to-go food,” Ms. Kiessling said. “If someone has an event and there are big trays of Mexican food, I can bring it in here with paper plates and a microwave and feed a bunch of people.”

Ms. Kiessling said she wants to make connections with local restaurants and organizations that may be able to donate excess food. 

Why there’s a need

“Research constantly shows that roughly 40 percent of college students are food insecure at both public and private institutions, as well as two and four-year institutions,” according to the impact report for fiscal year 2026 from Swipe Out Hunger, another nonprofit that works with more than 1,000 U.S. campuses. 

“About 80 percent of college students are already working, and many work full-time or multiple jobs to afford their education and living expenses,” the report said.

David Croom, chairman of the nonprofit’s board, and CEO Jaime Hansen said students must make “difficult choices every day: whether to attend class or pick up an extra shift to afford groceries, if two meals a day will be enough to focus in class, and ultimately whether their hopes for tomorrow are worth the costs and sacrifices of today.”

At Owens, Ms. Kiessling adds housing and health care to those choices.

“The culture of higher education changed,” she said. “We had to do wrap-around programs to get students to stay. ... Once we got them food, we found out they got evicted or lost transportation.”

Over time, the center’s work expanded to other resources as well as connections with health and human services agencies. Today the center offers seven mobile pantry carts with grab-and-go foods, a free store of donated household and other items, a book swap area, and a career closet of clothing for interviews, to wear to a first job, or “a suit for grandpa’s funeral,” Ms. Kiessling said. 

“The work Krista and her student workers do is tremendous,” said Jeremy Schneider, a college spokesman. “I can’t guess how many students have graduated because of their help.”

Go to owens.edu/student-support-campus-life for more information or to designate a donation to the center.

The Lucas County Coroner’s Office is seeking family members of a 57-year-old woman whose last address was in Toledo.

Kimberly Rauch was found dead in the living room of a home in the 2200 block of Ashland Avenue on Oct. 5, the office said. 

Anyone with information that will help the coroner locate Ms. Rauch’s relatives can call the office at 419-213-3900.

A 37-year-old man has died after being shot in central Toledo.

Just after 1 a.m. Wednesday, police responded to the 1100 block of Campbell Street for a report of a person shot. They found Terrance Scott with at least one gunshot wound.

He was taken to Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center, where he died, according to Toledo Police Department.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call or text the Crime Stopper program at 419-255-1111. Callers may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward.

For Dan Wimmers, Ohio’s 90-day gas-tax holiday could add up to hundreds of dollars in savings for the fleet of vehicles he sends across northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan each day.

“I am looking at savings of probably $10 per vehicle per day,” said Mr. Wimmers, owner of Coit Cleaning and Restoration of Toledo.

The holiday went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, dropping the standard tax rates of 38.5 cents per gallon for gasoline and 47 cents per gallon for diesel to one-hundredth of a cent per gallon.

The discount will be in place for 90 days, until 11:59 p.m. Jan. 2.

At Coit, Mr. Wimmers oversees a fleet that travels as far south as Lima and as far north as just south of Detroit to clean everything from furniture to concrete.

The 10 vans travel between 50 and 100 miles per vehicle each day.

“Three of the vehicles that are out on a daily basis have auxiliary equipment that is tied into the motor of the van,” Mr. Wimmers said. “While they are doing their service work, the motor of the van is running like 1,500 rpms.”

Mr. Wimmers said those specialized vehicles use 15 gallons of gas each day.

With all that fuel use, Mr. Wimmers said Coit’s bottom line has taken a hit as gas prices have risen.

Though he misses the days when gas cost less than $3 a gallon, Mr. Wimmers said any discount, including a gas-tax holiday, helps.

“You add that up over time, it makes a difference,” he said.

Commuters save

Unlike Mr. Wimmers, Steven Nelson travels for his drywall and carpentry job in his personal vehicle.

Mr. Nelson, who was filling up his Chevy Impala at the Shell station on Monroe Street in downtown Toledo on Tuesday, said his hour-and-a-half commute requires him to fill up about every two days.

“That is like $50 bucks for me, and that is like $300 a month just to go to work,” he said.

Mr. Nelson, who often works in Michigan, said he views the tax holiday as a positive when considering both his work commute and trips to visit family in Kentucky.

“I appreciate three months of not having to pay 40 cents,” he said.

Gig workers

Among local gig workers, reception to the holiday is more muted as they continue to contend with high operating costs, including gas.

“Certain orders I just can’t take,” said Stacey Schell, a Toledo resident who works predominantly with DoorDash.

She said DoorDash’s pay structure can result in offers such as a delivery 10 miles away that pays only $2. She said base pay also can vary depending on how much a customer tips.

“I do more shopping orders, and I can get paid $20 for a shopping order if a customer doesn’t tip,” Ms. Schell said. “The other day I had a customer order six big jugs of grease from Gordon Food Service, and, since he tipped good, my DoorDash base pay was $2. That is not fair.”

She said the gas-tax holiday could lead her to accept a lower-paying order or two, but she remains skeptical.

“It is aggravating to me because I guarantee if it wasn’t midterm voting season, they wouldn’t even care about it,” Ms. Schell said of Ohio politicians. “I have a bad feeling that as soon as this is done they are going to jack up prices higher than the national average to try to make that money back.”

She said she would like to see Ohio adopt a law similar to those enacted elsewhere that guarantee gig workers a minimum level of pay.

Electric alternative

Jason Craig, another Toledo resident and DoorDash driver, said operating costs are so high for some local DoorDash drivers that he volunteers to drive a handful of them around in his electric car.

“They literally abandon their gas car, and I drive them around to DoorDash,” Mr. Craig said. “To fill up my car and get 300 miles, it costs — if I do it at home, $8, and if I do it at a Tesla charger, $15. These people are paying $60 for the same amount of distance that I get.”

Mr. Craig is the administrator of the Facebook group DoorDash Drivers of Toledo and Northwest Ohio, which has more than 1,000 members. He said he asks only that the DoorDash drivers he transports reimburse him for the electricity used to charge his vehicle.

He echoed Ms. Schell’s skepticism about the motivations of state officials who instituted the tax holiday, but said he also sees benefits.

“I think everybody is going to enjoy the tax [holiday], and it is going to make a little bit of a difference,” he said. “Some people will be able to get back out.”

In another gig sector, Timothy Sherman, who drives an SUV for Black & White Transportation, said he could envision his peers benefiting from the tax break, though he doesn’t expect to change his own habits.

“It is going to be great for everybody that drives all the way to Costco to get 20 cents off per gallon,” said Mr. Sherman, who was standing near his vehicle between stops outside the Sheetz station in Oregon. “I am at whatever is convenient.

“I am not pinching pennies like that. What is two bucks?” he said, considering how much he might save from the tax holiday. “I am not that frugal, but there’s probably other cab drivers who are.”

The line of voters was out the door, down the sidewalk, and making its way around the Lucas County Early Vote Center on Tuesday as they waited to cast their ballots on the first day of early in-person voting.

Across the parking lot, volunteers held signs and passed out slate cards while some candidates spent the afternoon talking to voters before they walked into the polls.

“The crowds here are very good, it’s a beautiful day to come out,” U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) said. “We were out in Defiance County ... as we started the day today. We were there for early vote too … I have to meet with business people when I’m finished here, so I’ve got a regular schedule, but I’m trying to both do the job and campaign.”

Ms. Kaptur is running for re-election in one of the most competitive congressional districts of the election cycle. She is campaigning against Republican Derek Merrin, whom she faced in 2024.

Ms. Kaptur was re-elected to her seat in 2024, winning by less than one percentage point. The district was redrawn last year to include Henry, Putnam, and Paulding counties, all Republican strongholds. The new district gives Republicans an advantage of 9 percentage points.

But with the line filing out of the building, Ms. Kaptur said she thinks people are more determined to vote this year because they are feeling the impacts of rising prices.

“They are not happy about the war [with Iran], and they are not happy about rising costs for everything, particularly energy and water,” she said.

After speaking with voters outside the polls, Ms. Kaptur hopped in line to cast her own ballot.

A spokesman for Mr. Merrin’s campaign said the candidate will be voting on Election Day.

“He is busy talking to voters each and every day,” the spokesman said. “He is motivated by the support he sees for his candidacy.”

Mr. Merrin campaigned with Republican gubernatorial ticket Vivek Ramaswamy and state Sen. President Rob McColley (R., Napoleon) at VFW Post 7424 in Wauseon on Monday. He will be welcoming House Speaker Mike Johnson to the district for a Get Out The Vote rally on Thursday. 

The candidate returned to the district after taking a slight detour to campaign in Vandalia, Ohio, with other statewide Republican candidates. President Trump came to Ohio to encourage voter turnout for the midterm elections. At the event, Trump emphasized his endorsement of Mr. Merrin, saying he thought “he was going to do great.”

When asked what she thought of the President campaigning in Ohio for her opponent and other Republican candidates, Ms. Kaptur said it “shows what their affinity is.”

“This is really a race about billionaires versus the working class, and the people who just want a good way of life,” she said. “They don’t want to be billionaires, and they see that their wealth is being robbed from them. They’re going to vote their future when they go to the polls this week and this month.”

West Toledo residents Anne and Michael Veh stopped by the early vote center Tuesday but did not cast their ballots. They came to chat with the congressman and voice their support for her re-election bid.

“We talked to Marcy about health care, and the number of people in our community here that are losing their health care or are having difficulty in obtaining it or keeping it,” Mrs. Veh said. “We need people that are representing us that see us in our own community, and know what the problems are with it.”

In his speeches across the district, Mr. Merrin has repeatedly said its time to retire Ms. Kaptur, who is the longest serving woman in Congress. He has also pledged to support a constitutional amendment to put term limits on members of Congress.

“Marcy Kaptur has been in office, in Congress, longer than I’ve been alive,” Mr. Merrin said Monday at VFW Post 7424. “I’m 40. She’s been in office for 43 years.”

Mr. Merrin’s comments were supported by applause in the audience on Monday, but the Vehs disagreed that Ms. Kaptur has been in office too long.

“She’s been there to be able to be the person who would stand up for this region,” Mr. Veh said. “When people say she’s been there long enough, well, when she decides to retire, it’s hopefully not going to be at the expense of having somebody like Derek Merrin to take her place.”

The Lucas County Early Voting Center is at 3737 W. Sylvania Ave. Registered voters can cast their ballots now through Nov. 1. Election Day is Nov. 3.

Toledo officials acknowledged Monday that the city failed to adequately publicize the bidding opportunity for the Swayne Field plaza pop-up market, as city council members and local farmers questioned a process that produced just one bidder.

The request for proposals was posted on the city’s PlanetBids procurement system for two weeks. Of 127 vendors notified, eight viewed it, and one — Al Peake and Sons — submitted a proposal.

“I wasn’t notified at all about this market pop-up. I knew nothing about it until someone from the community called me,” said City Council President Vanice Williams, whose district includes Swayne Field.

Ms. Williams said the opportunity should have been promoted through city communications, local media, and community networks.

“I’m just wondering why this one wasn’t marketed, since it’s so important to this neighborhood,” she said.

Rosalyn Clemens, the city’s chief of housing and neighborhood sustainability, acknowledged the city should have done more to publicize the opportunity.

“We did not market it the extra ways, and we have recognized that mishap,” she said. “I think in hindsight there are some things that we could have done better and not having as broad of an outreach is something I think we have acknowledged and we have vowed to do better in the future.”

The city is paying Al Peake and Sons $15,000 per week for the 10-week pilot, which was intended to test demand for a grocery store at Swayne Field Plaza. The market is scheduled to operate Saturdays through Oct. 24.

Early discussions questioned

Questions also arose about discussions the city had with potential market operators before issuing the request for proposals.

In a previous interview, Philip Peake said he had known about the opportunity about a year and a half in advance.

Ms. Clemens said the city held exploratory conversations with potential operators, including Al Peake and Sons, before seeking bids. Al Peake and Sons ultimately submitted the only proposal.

The city’s contract calls for Al Peake and Sons to receive $15,000 per week for the 10-week pilot, or $150,000.

Alisha McNair questioned what the payment covered and why the city considered it necessary, noting that the company could also earn revenue from sales.

City officials did not answer those questions at the meeting, instead asking Ms. McNair to submit them by email and saying the answers would be shared publicly.

The city later invited local food producers to apply to participate alongside the pilot market. To qualify, vendors must carry insurance and earn money from product sales.

Sonia Flunder-McNair, founder and executive director of Urban Wholistics, questioned that arrangement.

“Who wants to come and make money off of tomatoes when somebody’s getting $15,000? If you’re getting $15,000 a week, all the food should be free,” Mrs. Flunder-McNair said.

She said local farmers had discussed inclusion with city officials before the bid.

“We have been sitting around so many tables, and not to have this mentioned not one time is a slap in the face,” she said.

Sylvester Gould of Gould Development Company said he supported the pop-up market, which he has visited several times, but called for a level playing field for minority-owned and small businesses.

“I thought it was a great idea for this pop-up market to come in and at least try to bring fruits and vegetables to the table. It’s a start, I want you to support the administration in terms of more, not less,” he said.

City promises changes

City officials said they plan to improve outreach and public communication and provide more education about the procurement process.

The city plans to flag unusual bids earlier, check vendor availability under relevant PlanetBids categories, update those categories, and consider broader advertising, including social media.

Councilman Brittany Jones called for annual public training to help vendors use PlanetBids and select the correct categories.

Ms. Clemens also acknowledged that controversy over the bidding process may have undermined the pilot’s purpose of measuring demand for a permanent market.

“The fact that a lot of folks may have been upset about the bid and not attended, I think, definitely will skew the data. Do we want to do this again? Yes, we do,” she said.

Attendees also called on Swayne Field Plaza’s owners to invest in the property.

William Lucas, Swayne Field Plaza’s operations manager, said the owners spent $200,000 on infrastructure before the city committed to the revitalization project.

Calls for accountability

Councilman Cerssandra McPherson questioned how the city could rebuild trust after the controversy.

“How do we reset with what has happened and the bad taste that this has left in our community?” Ms. McPherson asked.

She said residents hold her accountable for what happens in the district.

“And because of that, I’m going to hold the administration accountable on every aspect of this,” Ms. McPherson said. “This should never have happened.”

Mrs. Flunder-McNair said the city’s acknowledgment of inadequate outreach must be accompanied by accountability.

“To be able to voice how you made us feel, and how you excluded us needs to come with some accountability,” she said.

Ms. McPherson said the controversy had affected trust beyond the Englewood neighborhood.

“This has been a very trying time for the community, for not just the Englewood community, but for the African-American community,” Ms. McPherson said.

“It’s always an aftermath where we’re cleaning up messes because we were not transparent in the beginning and being intentional about the moves that we make and the reasoning for what we do,” she said. “We must do better.”

The question the director of Toledo’s library system said he hears most is: “What can the library do for me?”

So he stood in the construction site of the upcoming Washington Branch Library in West Toledo celebrating the positive economic impact the construction project and the library itself has had in Toledo during a Tuesday news conference. 

“Your return on investment isn’t just about how we circulate books,” said Jason Kucsma, executive director of the Toledo Lucas County Public Library. “It’s about how the library helps people work, learn, connect, and participate in our community and our economy.”

In addition to providing reading opportunities that “expands our world,” the library provides accessible spaces for people to meet, family activities, and a plethora of resources for people to take advantage of, it also gives taxpayers “a measurable economic return on their investment,” he said. 

The Center for Regional Development at Bowling Green State University partnered with the library on an economic impact analysis to show taxpayers exactly that.  

BGSU’s study “found that the Toledo Lucas County Public Library generates $6.73 in economic value for every $1 invested by Lucas County taxpayers,” Mr. Kucsma said. 

Nichole Fifer, director of the Center for Regional Development, said the total economic impact to the community has been $14.4 million. Though the total return on investment from the Washington Branch project is undetermined because construction is ongoing, the projected return on investment is “relatively high,” she said.  

The return on investment from the Washington Branch has already started, Mr. Kucsma said. 

“We don’t even need to wait for the doors to open,” he said of the construction there. 

“To date, the Washington campus project has returned nearly $4.5 million dollars in wages and benefits to area tradespeople,” the library director said. “We’ve also prioritized expanding opportunities for local businesses and workers, with an emphasis on minority, disadvantaged women, and veteran-owned businesses.”

“This is what public investment should do,” he continued. “Deliver value today while building something that will only grow and work over time.” 

David Mann, president and chief executive officer for the Lucas County Land Bank, said the land bank was able to help with the project by working with the library to secure $600,000 through the state of Ohio’s Brownfield Remediation program. 

The program helped with the demolition on the property of the former Food Town grocery store which was contaminated with asbestos, Mr. Mann said. 

“This project is special because what’s going to happen next is this beautiful campus that we are standing on right now,” Mr. Mann said. “Leveraging those dollars has created something great for our community. We are looking forward to seeing what happens here when this site fully opens in a couple of months.” 

As the deadline to spend federal money received through the American Rescue Plan Act approaches, Toledo City Council is taking its time before reallocating unspent dollars.

The council gave a first reading Tuesday to legislation that would reallocate $713,106 in ARPA funding.

The money was originally earmarked for specific projects, but has to be spent by Dec. 31, per federal guidelines. With three months left to spend the money, Melanie Campbell, the city’s finance director, said those projects either didn’t use the full amount obligated or won’t expend those dollars by the deadline.

The city of Toledo can only reallocate that money to a previously obligated project, according to the federal guidelines, so the mayor’s administration wants to distribute the dollars to the Municipal Recovery Revenue Replacement initiative for police and fire wages.

Ms. Campbell said putting the unspent dollars into that project is the easiest way to ensure the money will be spent by the deadline.

If the money is not spent by Dec. 31, the city will lose it as it is returned to the federal government.

George Sarantou, chairman of the finance committee, said the item received a first reading to give council members more time to “study the issue.”

“The fact of the matter is, there’s about $713,000 that will not be spent for the original purposes, including the food programs,” Mr. Sarantou said.

But the chairman said council needs to act fast to approve the reallocation, calling the administration’s proposal a “common sense solution.”

“That $713,000 has to be spent, or it will go back to Washington,” he said.

Council members have previously questioned why the administration was bringing the proposal forward now, with three months left before the deadline, while others questioned why it was going to public safety wages.

There are three projects that will not use the full amount obligated or won’t spend the dollars by the Dec. 31 deadline. Those include:

● The development of a food systems hub.

● The implementation of a grocery store construction incentive program.

● The cost of administrative staff in the city’s finance and law departments to provide oversight of the ARPA program.

The food systems hub has $355,297 that will not be expended by the end of the year. Similarly, the grocery store construction incentive has $147,000 that won’t be spent by the deadline. And the administrative oversight project won’t need its full amount obligated and will have $210,809 left over.

Ms. Campbell emphasized that the two healthy food projects will not be canceled as a result of the reallocation. Instead, it will free up resources in the general fund, so the city can still continue the healthy food projects without being bound to the Dec. 31 deadline.

Also on council’s agenda Tuesday was legislation that would allow the mayor to enter into an agreement with the Toledo-Lucas County Regional Board of Health to support the Healthy Food Small Market program. The pilot initiative is designed to increase access to fresh, nutritious foods in underserved Toledo neighborhoods.

The city council is being asked to authorize $355,297 from the general fund to support the program.

That item also received a first reading.

On Sept. 30, Rosalyn Clemens, the city’s chief of housing and neighborhood sustainability, proposed spending the $147,000, earmarked for the grocery store construction incentive, on rehabilitating the Red and White Super Market on North Detroit Avenue.

But the proposal drew strong reactions from some council members, with Councilman John Hobbs III saying he would never support an ordinance that would allocate funds to Red and White Super Market.

Mr. Sarantou said he believes that proposal is now off the table.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Mr. Sarantou said of the project. “I think council agrees with Councilman Hobbs that the money should not be allocated to that particular business, but there’s other businesses in the area, and we should explore that thoroughly.”

Since both pieces of legislation received a first reading, they will be on the council’s Oct. 20 agenda.

Mr. Sarantou said he hopes both items receive a vote then.

“Again, we have a deadline of Dec. 31,” he said. “And I don’t want to have a special session Christmas morning to allocate that money.”

In other business, the city council:

● Voted 11-0 to enact a new Toledo Municipal Code chapter that will strengthen protections against landlord retaliation. Councilman Adam Martinez was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.

● Voted 11-0 to appropriate $1.4 million for city-wide fuel purchases due to the rising cost of gas.

● Unanimously rejected a special use permit for a gas station at 2485 N. Detroit Ave.

Council will meet again next Tuesday to review the agenda its Oct. 20 meeting.

Lucas County Commissioners traded barbs Tuesday with County Prosecutor Julia Bates over the prosecuting attorney not showing up for a scheduled county budget hearing. 

“Despite our directions to identify reductions so we could achieve a balanced budget, we prepared to have a productive discussion with Prosecutor Bates so we could understand why she believes she’s not only unable to make the target reductions, but needs additional dollars to fund her operations,” Commissioner Lisa Sobecki said. 

All departments were directed by the commissioners in July that they were to cut their budgets for next year by 13 percent.

Some were unable to meet that directive, and came before commissioners Tuesday to plead their case. 

Others, like Mrs. Bates and judges from the domestic relations court, couldn’t meet the targeted reductions, but did not attend the hearing.

“We have been committed to holding public hearings for the last few years. This board is committed to being transparent,” Ms. Sobecki said. “We will make time if Prosecutor Bates would like to come before us to have a conversation about her budget.” 

Commissioner Pete Gerken called the prosecutor’s action “disrepectful.”

“We have lots of vacant chairs here and no prosecutor or representatives,” Mr. Gerken said. “That’s disrespectful. How can you prosecute anything in court if you can’t come before [the] board of commissioners and prosecute your case for what your budget needs? That’s lacking in integrity.”

In a news release issued after the meeting, Mrs. Bates said she informed commissioners in letters of her concerns about the 13 percent budget cuts. 

“Today, the Board of Lucas County Commissioners engaged in name-calling, petty criticism and abusive and disrespectful characterization of my background, my competence and my 30 years of elected tenure,” she said.

A cut of that size is “entirely unacceptable and legally impermissible,” Mrs. Bates said she told the commissioners in an Aug. 10 letter.

“Under Ohio law, the Prosecutor’s Office is required to perform duties that protect public safety and ensure the administration of justice,” she said. A 13 percent reduction “threatens the office’s ability to do that work.”

In a Sept. 28 letter, the county prosecutor said the cuts could leave the office without enough lawyers, victim advocates, and investigators to handle serious and complex criminal cases. 

Making a case

Directors of other departments made their cases for more money before the commissioners Tuesday.

Michael Ashford, Lucas County recorder, submitted $981,435 for next year, which is more than the 2026 budget.

A 13 percent reduction in the current budget of $945,808 would amount to $822,853, he said, and salaries make up $706,830 in his office.

“We have no room to cut,” Mr. Ashford said. “That would leave only $116,022 to operate in 2027. The entire budget cannot operate on $116,022.” 

The Correctional Treatment Facility is asking for a budget of $2,332,617, which would allow the work-release program to maintain its current level of staffing, services, and available beds, with no services being impacted.

Jeff Keith, the facility’s deputy director, said a 13 percent cut would affect staffing and services offered to the courts. And, he said, transportation staff would need to be reduced in order to keep staffing inside the facility at safe levels.  

The Toledo Legal Aid Society, which is the public defender’s office in Lucas County, also is unable to cut their budget by 13 percent, said Sean McNulty, chief public defender. 

“If we cut 13 percent, then we are cutting personnel. If we cut personnel, then we’re not meeting the workload and caseload standards we’re required to do under the state, and also federal standards,” Mr. McNulty said. “Under crushing caseloads, we can’t then provide service to our clients.” 

County commissioners showed no signs of backing away from the cuts. They will have a $27 million deficit next year if departments don’t meet the reduction target. 

“We are making significant cuts across the board,” Commissioner Anita Lopez said. “It’s a difficult situation with multiple offices. There’s a lot of uncertainty we’re facing.”

Ms. Sobecki agreed, saying federal and state funding cuts forced the commissioners to seek reductions in the budget.

“We need to make some tough decisions to make the county financially sound,” she said. 

The Ohio Department of Transportation is not civilly liable for a car passenger’s death nearly nine years ago when a teenager dropped a work-zone sandbag from a bridge over I-75 in Toledo, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

The state high court’s immunity finding reverses an Ohio 10th District Court of Appeals ruling in favor of Patricia Wilkes, the mother of car passenger Marquise Byrd, who was killed in the Dec. 19, 2017, incident at Indiana Avenue near downtown Toledo.

Writing for the court majority, Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy said government agencies are immune from lawsuits alleging injuries caused by policy decisions involving the exercise of a high degree of official judgment or discretion.

ODOT policy at the time required vandal-protective fencing on overpasses when they were completed but not during reconstruction.

“Whether to use temporary vandal-protective fencing during a bridge reconstruction is a basic policy decision that involves a high degree of discretion, and as such, is one for which ODOT is immune from liability,” she wrote.

Justices R. Patrick DeWine, Joseph T. Deters, Daniel R. Hawkins, and Megan E. Shanahan joined Chief Justice Kennedy’s opinion.

Also joining the 6-1 majority was Justice Patrick Fischer, who found in a concurring opinion that ODOT was immune because the concept that Ohio law grants “discretionary immunity” to government agencies was not disputed.

But Justice Fischer questioned whether prior court decisions accurately interpret the sovereign immunity statute and whether state government decisions are shielded against lawsuits.

In a dissenting opinion, Justice Jennifer Brunner wrote that discretionary immunity did not properly apply to Mr. Byrd’s death.

ODOT did not use a high degree of judicial judgment or discretion when deciding not to use temporary protective fencing during the Indiana Avenue bridge’s reconstruction, she wrote.

Rather, it was a “technical decision” not to follow its already existing policy of shielding the bridge and preventing the type of activity that occurred and caused a death. It was this technical decision not to follow its policy that was negligent or reckless, Justice Brunner concluded.

The Ohio Supreme Court’s ruling remands the case to the Ohio Court of Claims, which handles all lawsuits against state agencies, with instruction to dismiss the case.

The Court of Claims had denied that ODOT was immune from civil liability in the matter, but then found Ms. Wilkes had failed to prove its negligence. The 10th District appellate court then reversed the trial court’s ruling and remanded the case to the trial court to determine damages.

During the bridge’s reconstruction, vehicular and pedestrian traffic was initially maintained on the south side of Indiana and an anti-vandalism fence was in place on that side of the street. But only a barrier wall 42 inches high was present on the north side, which was rebuilt first.

Court documents state ODOT project officials did not consider anti-vandal fencing necessary on the north side because that side was closed to vehicles and pedestrians.

Pedro Salinas, 13, one of four boys who walked together across the span that night, later admitted to murder and felonious assault in Lucas County Juvenile Court for having dropped the sandbag over the 42-inch wall into freeway traffic.

The other boys — Sean Carter, 14, Demetrius Wimberly, 14, and William Parker II, 15 — admitted to delinquency to involuntary manslaughter and vehicular vandalism.

The boys all received sentences to the Ohio Division of Youth Services but those were suspended in lieu of placement in a local behavioral treatment facility. Judge Denise Navarre Cubbon’s disposition of the case greatly upset Mr. Byrd’s relatives and the family’s lawyer called the sentences “madness.”

While living in a group home to transition from the treatment facility, Salinas drowned in 2019 while swimming in a Sylvania quarry during a group outing there.

The Toledo Museum of Art’s 5th annual lecture on ancient Egypt archaeology is a free community event Friday.

Kate Liszka, a professor of Egyptology at California State University at San Bernardino, will share some of the latest discoveries and discuss how they enhance knowledge of Middle Kingdom mining expeditions, a museum announcement said.

The Wadi el-Hudi Expedition conducted a three-day survey of Dihmit South in January, 2023, exploring the large fortified settlement and amethyst mine in the Eastern Desert. They also examined two large mines and several smaller ones where a unique building full of pottery and stone tools likely used to fix baskets or other products during the mining process was found.

“Miners also carved rock art on a large boulder between the mines,” the museum said. 

The lecture, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., will be in the Glass Pavilion, Glassalon, at the museum, 2445 Monroe St.

Ongoing renovation of downtown Toledo’s Spitzer Building will close a block of Huron Street on Wednesday, the Toledo Department of Transportation announced.

Huron will be closed between Adams Street and Madison Avenue, with no detour route posted, while a crane occupies the street for work on the building’s elevator shaft.

NAPOLEON — Henry County Hospital and ProMedica will enter into a new management affiliation designed to strengthen and sustain healthcare services for Henry County residents.

Officials from both health care systems made the announcement Tuesday.

“This planned affiliation will allow us to build on our strengths while remaining true to who we are,” said Kristi Barnd, CEO of Henry County Hospital.

“Our goal is not to change what makes this organization successful,” said Arturo Polizzi, president and CEO of ProMedica. “Our goal is to support it.”

The planned affiliation is intended to enhance access to care, support future growth, strengthen provider recruitment and retention, and create new opportunities to meet the evolving healthcare needs of the community, officials said.

The affiliation agreement is expected to be finalized by the end of October.